which

adjective \ ˈhwich , ˈwich \

Definition of which

1 : being what one or ones out of a group —used as an interrogative

which tie should I wear

kept a record of which employees took their vacations in July

2 : whichever

it will not fit, turn it which way you like

3 —used as a function word to introduce a nonrestrictive relative clause and to modify a noun in that clause and to refer together with that noun to a word or word group in a preceding clause or to an entire preceding clause or sentence or longer unit of discourse

in German, which language might … have been the medium of transmission
—Thomas Pyles

that this city is a rebellious city … : for which cause was this city destroyed
—Ezra 4:15 (King James Version)

See which defined for English-language learners

See which defined for kids

Recent Examples of which from the Web

The real Morel and Wilson had no luck reaching MTA, which shut down 20 years ago and was dropped from the Colorado secretary of state’s registry in 2001.

— grace schneider, The Courier-Journal, "Identity theft? High school dropout sees wages taken by government to repay student loan," 6 July 2017
June Gloom is over, summer is officially here – and the days are only getting shorter – which is reason enough to knock off work early and head to happy hour.

— cole kazdin, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Best Summer Happy Hours in L.A.," 6 July 2017
Reeder's dog is allergic to wheat, which is not uncommon.

— william thornton, AL.com, "The Barkery serves up treats for Montgomery's dogs (and a few cats)," 6 July 2017
MLB Pitch, Hit & Run encourages youth players to develop their skills by competing in pitching, hitting, and running competitions, which begin at the local level and continuing through sectional and team championships.

— jim varsallone, miamiherald, "Busy times for Miami 12-year-old during MLB All-Star Week Miami," 6 July 2017
This year's show will be at the LaPorte County Fairgrounds, 2581 W. State Road 2, LaPorte, which can accommodate 90-100 vendors.

— Post-Tribune, "Community news," 5 July 2017
Many progressives object to developers’ business model, which depends on building new units and charging as much as possible for them, even if that makes them unaffordable for longtime residents.

— alana semuels, The Atlantic, "Stop Worrying and Learn to Love the Developers," 5 July 2017
Residents seem to be embracing the electric people-movers, which are now operating under summer hours of 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Hamik said.

— erin hegarty, Naperville Sun, "Naperville Tuk Tuk fleet doubles in size in less than a year," 5 July 2017
The biggest spending cuts hit the Medicaid program, which provides health coverage for low-income children and adults, including paying for nearly half of all births and much of the cost of nursing home care.

— julie appleby, Kaiser Health News, "What Tax Breaks? Those Promised In GOP Plans Go Mostly To Top 1%," 5 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'which.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of which

Middle English, of what kind, which, from Old English hwilc; akin to Old High German wilīh of what kind, which, Old English hwā who, gelīk like — more at who, like

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

which

pronoun

Definition of which

1 : what one or ones out of a group —used as an interrogative

which of those houses do you live in

which of you want tea and which want lemonade

he is swimming or canoeing, I don't know which

2 : whichever

take which you like

3 —used as a function word to introduce a relative clause —used in any grammatical relation except that of a possessive —used especially in reference to animals, inanimate objects, groups, or ideas

the bonds which represent the debt
—G. B. Robinson

the Samnite tribes, which settled south and southeast of Rome
—Ernst Pulgram

—used freely in reference to persons as recently as the 17th century

our Father which art in heaven
—Matthew 6:9 (King James Version)

, and still occasionally so used but usually with some implication of emphasis on the function or role of the person rather than on the person as such

chiefly they wanted husbands, which they got easily
—Lynn White

—used by speakers on all educational levels and by many reputable writers, though disapproved by some grammarians, in reference to an idea expressed by a word or group of words that is not necessarily a noun or noun phrase

he resigned that post, after which he engaged in ranching
—Current Biography

See which defined for English-language learners

that, which, or who?

In current usage that refers to persons or things, which chiefly to things and rarely to subhuman entities, who chiefly to persons and sometimes to animals. The notion that that should not be used to refer to persons is without foundation; such use is entirely standard. Because that has no genitive form or construction, of which or whose must be substituted for it in contexts that call for the genitive.

that vs. which

Although some handbooks say otherwise, that and which are both regularly used to introduce restrictive clauses in edited prose. Which is also used to introduce nonrestrictive clauses. That was formerly used to introduce nonrestrictive clauses; such use is virtually nonexistent in present-day edited prose, though it may occasionally be found in poetry.

First Known Use of which

before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

WHICH Defined for English Language Learners

which

adjective

Definition of which for English Language Learners

: what one or ones of a group : what particular one or ones

which

pronoun

Definition of which for English Language Learners

: what one or ones out of a group
—used to introduce an additional statement about something that has already been mentioned
—used after a preposition to refer again to something that has already been mentioned